About State Records

State Records is the NSW Government's archives and records management authority. State Records manages the NSW State archives collection and sets the rules and provides guidance on the management of official records.

The State's archives are a unique and irreplaceable part of our cultural heritage. They date from the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 until today. The archives are the 'raw material of history' and are part of our collective memory. There are approximately 7 million items stored at the Western Sydney Records Centre which includes hundred of thousands of maps, plans, glass negatives, photographs and modern media such as computer records, videos and films. Original records are available to view in the reading room at the Western Sydney Records Centre. Records that have been copied onto microfilm and microfiche can be viewed in our reading room. There is also a network of Regional Repositories around NSW that hold and provide access to State archives.

We manage a framework of policy, legislation, standards, codes of best practice and guidelines governing the making, retention and management of State records and access to them. This framework applies both to records managed by public sector bodies and to the State archives collection.

The Government Records Repository (GRR) manages records storage services for semi-active records created by NSW public sector bodies, including Government agencies, local councils, public hospitals and universities.